Plate valve



w. E. BEBVBINGTON PLATE VALVE Filed March 20. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR.

I/lfz'lh EB cbbizyfoa 4 4; H15 ATTORNEY? 1934- w. E. BEBBINGTON1,971,171

PLATE VALVE Filed March 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EIfi'Miam/EBebbirydvn/ YM-QZ HIS ATTORNEY.

Aug. 21, 1934. w. E. BEBBINGTON 1,971,171

PLATE VALVE Filed March 20. 1951 s Sheets-Sheet s v Inn 1 1 1m l l EINVZNTORZ MGM/5am Bab any 012! w 1115A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 21, 1934UNITED STATES PATENT rice PLATE VALVE William E. Bebbington, PaintedPost, N. Y., as-

signor to Ingersoll-Rand Company,

Jersey,

City, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 20, 1931,Serial No. 523,992

6 Claims. (01. 251-119) upon whether the valve is intended to serve thefunction of an inlet valve or of a discharge valve.

One object of the invention is to prevent sharp and consequent noisyimpact of the valve plate against the stop elements which limit itsrange of movement.

Another object is to allow the initial unseating movement of the valveplate to takeplace against comparatively light resistance and to assurean increased cushioning action upon the valve plate during thesubsequent or final portion of the unseating movement of said valveplate.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and in which similarreference characters refer to'similar parts,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a plate valve constructed inaccordance with the practice of the invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the plate valve,

Figure 3 is a similar view of a guide member for the valve plate,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the spring plate, 1 a

Figures 5, 6 and '7 are side elevations of the plate valve illustratinglimiting and intermediate positions of the reciprocable parts during theunseating movement of the valve plate,

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a modified form of spring plate, and

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a valve mechanism equipped with a springplate of the form illustrated in Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings and at first more particularly to thepreferred form of construction illustrated in Figures 1 to '7 inclusive,A designates generally a'plate valve comprising a valve seat B, a stopplate 0 which is secured to the valve seat B by means of a bolt D, and anut E threaded on the bolt D.

Interposed between the valve seat B and the stop plate C is a washer orguide member F through which the bolt D also extends. The washer Fdetermines the width of a space G between the valve seat 13 and the stopplate C. The peripheral surface H of the washer F acts as a guidesurface for a valve plate J dis--v posed in the space G to control portsK in the I valve seat B and through which fluid may pass to or from thecompressor, depending upon whether the valve assembly is being used asan inlet valve or as a discharge valve.

The ports K may be of any suitable number and extent to assure port areacommensurate with the requirements of the compressor.v The stop plate Cmay, as illustrated, be provided with similar ports L to provide amplepassage for the fluid issuing from or flowing to the ports K.

The ports K and L may assume any desired 1 shape as for instance,arcuate and the valve plate J is therefore also preferably provided witharcuate ports 0 through which the fluid may flow from the ports K to L,or vice 'versa. 1

and will therefore be staggered with respect to u r the ports K.

In order to maintain the weight of the ,valve plate J to a minimum andalso toavoid overlapping portions of unnecessarily large extent on thevalve plate J and the valvev seat B, the

washer Fmay be of such diameter that its peripheral surface H liesclosely adjacent the inner port K. When so arranged, the washer F may beprovided with slots or notches P of suitable area to provide channelsfor pressure fluid fiowingfrom the innermost ports K to the innermostports L in the stop plate.

In accordance with the present invention, means are provided to eifectadequate cushioning of the valve plate J during the unseating movementof said valve plate. To this end the valve mechanism is provided with aspring'plate designated generally by Q which is interposed portion R area plurality of lateral extensions T, three being. shown in the presentinstance,

and at the outer ends of the extension are spring ar'ms U which arecurved to correspond to the =curv'e of the body portion R and withrespect -to which they are suitably spaced. Preferably 'theouterdiameter of the spring plate, that is, from the outer edge of one springarm to another, taken through the median line of the Spring plate,substantially equals the diameter spring arms heretofore proposed andwherein the spring arms were merely bent out of the plane of the springplate so that the armsineffect were straight uncurved members, and.

which members, upon the application o-j pressure to the free endsthereof, would merely yield or bend at the point or angle at which theyjoined the normal portions of the springplate.

In order that the bending movement of the arms U may not be confined to.oneparticular region of the arms, as is customary in devices of thischaracter as heretofore constructed, said arms are preferably of thesamewidthand thickness and consequently of the same cross sectional areathroughout their lengths.

In practice, assuming the parts comprisingthe valve mechanism to besuitably assembled and arranged in the compressor and in the case of adischarge valve, such as that illustrated, the fluid being compressedwill act against the surface of the valve plate J adjacent the ports Kand will unseat the valve plate, whereupon the fluid being compressedwill be discharged from the compressor.

During the initial movement of the valve plate, said valve plate willencounter'comparatively light resistance by the spring fingers U.- Thisis due to the fact that the spring fingers are of. considerable length.As the valve plate J appreaches an intermediate position in the space G,for instance as illustrated in Figure 6, the

spring arms U will be raised in the direction of the stop plate Cwherewith they willcontact at a point intermediate their ends as forinstance that designated by W in Figure 6.

In mechanisms wherein the spring plate Q is capable of free movementrelatively to the, stop plate C this upwardly applied pressure of thevalve plate against the free ends of the spring fingers will result indrawing the spring plate bodily in'the direction of the valve plate J.

It follows therefore that, asthevalve plate J approaches the end of itsunseating movement, the attached ends of the arms U are ,moved free ofthe. stop plate C to meetand contact with the approaching valve plate J.Thereafter the portions of the arms lying on oppositesides of what'maybe termed the initial point of contact or fulcrum W will be graduallyrolled'back against the stop plate, thus increasing the areas of contactbetween the arms U both in the direction of the free ends andtheattached ends of said arms. In consequence, the unsprung portions of thearms U are gradually diminished.

' i Owing to this fact a relatively greater resistance is offered by theends of the arms to the valve plate during the final unseating movementthereof than is exerted by the. arms during the initial unseatingmovement of the valve. plate.

.- act'as a stop therefor, for example, thespring plate, as Well asthesharp impact of the spring plate against the stop plate C.

stop plate C, thus gradually shortening the comparatively short radiusor of an extent which subsequent unseating movement of the spring .ing,portstherein, a stop'plate, a valve platei? It may be desirable in someforms of usage to avoid movement of portions of the spring plate otherthan the spring fingers. In such case, of course, only the resistance ofthose portions of the arms U lying entirely on one side of theextensions T would serve to resist or cushion the opening movement ofthe valve plate J. With only the arms U- capable of movement, said armsWill be rolled along the surface of the unsprung portions of said armsand in this way assuring maximum cushioning pressure of the arms on thevalve plate J during the final opening movement of the said valve plate.

In the modified. form of spring plate shown inFigures 8 and 9 anddesignated by X, the spring arms Z have reversely curved portions :2)andc. The curved portions 1), which are those adjacent the lateralextensions T, may be of will carry the adjacent part of the curvedportions 0 above or to one side of the main body portion R. of thespring plate. are then gradually curved on a larger radius The portions0 prompt depressions of the attached portions of the spring arms duringthe initial unseating movement of the valve plate J. Moreover, this formof the invention is also particularly applicable for use in valvemechanisms wherein high lift of the valve plate J may be essential.

The cushioning efiect, however, of the spring plate X, or, morespecifically, the arms Z, is

inall essential respects like that of the spring plate Q, that is, inthe case of a free floating spring plate X the force exerted by thevalve plate J against the free ends (1 of the fingers Z Will tend tomove the attached ends or portions -.o'the arms in the direction of thevalve plate to contact therewith. The arms Z will then contact with thestop plate at a point intermediate the ends of the arms, and during thel 5 plate J the portion of the arms Z lying on the opposite sides of thepoint of initial contact of the arms Z with the stop plate will berolled back so that as the unsprung portions of the arms Z decrease, thecushioning effect thereof .Will increase correspondingly.

I claim:

1. A plate valve comprising a valve seat hav- .ing ports therein, a stopplate, a valve plate-o3.

reciprocable between the valve seat and the stop plate to control theports, a spring plate movably disposed between the valve plate and theby intermediate portions of the arms seat against the'stop plate uponthe initial opening -movement of the valve plate and the portions if? ofthe arms lying on opposite sides of said inl :termediate portionscushion the subsequent or final opening movement of the valve plate.

2. A'plate valve comprising a valve seat hav- Ieciprocable between thevalve seat and the stop plate to control the ports, a spring platebetween the stop plate and the valve plate, and spring arms on thespring plate of uniform cross-sectional area throughout their lengthsand constantly pressing with one end against the valve plate, said armsbeing bent out of the plane of the spring plate and curved throughouttheir lengths, whereby the intermediate portion of each arm is raisedabove the ends of said arms to initially seat against the stop plate andthe portions of the arms lying on opposite sides of said intermediateportions of initial contact cushion the subsequent or final openingmovement of the valve plate.

3. A plate valve comprising a valve seat having ports therein, a stopplate, a valve plate reciprocable between the stop plate and the valveseat to control the ports, a spring plate movably disposed between thevalve plate and the stop plate, means for holding the stop plate inspaced relation with respect to the valve seat and to guide the valveand spring plates, and curved arms attached at one end to the springplate constantly bearing with the other end against the valve plate,said arms being of uniform cross-sectional area throughout their lengthswhereby upon the initial opening movement of the valve plate anintermediate portion of each arm will seat against the stop plate andthe attached. ends of the arms will be moved in the direction of thevalve plate to assist the free ends of the arms in cushioning the finalopening movement of the valve plate.

4. A plate valve comprising a valve seat having ports therein, a stopplate, a valve plate reciprocable between the stop plate and the valveseat to control the ports, a flat spring plate reciprocable between thevalve plate and the stop plate and having a bore, spring arms on thespring plate concentric therewith and having free ends pressing againstthe valve plate and being initially curved out of the plane of thespring plate throughout their lengths and in a continuous curve wherebyduring the unseating movement of the valve plate the area of contactbetween the spring arms and the stop plate will gradually increase andthe unsprung portions of the arms will correspondingly decrease towardboth extremities of each spring arm to effect maximum cushioningpressure on the valve plate during the final unseating movement thereof,and. a spacer between the valve seat and the stop plate extendingthrough the bore in the spring plate to guide said spring plate.

5. A plate valve comprising a valve seat having ports therein, a stopplate, a valve plate reciprocable between the stop plate and the valveseat to control the ports, a spring plate between the stop plate and thevalve plate and having an inner annular body portion, lateral extensionson the body portion, spring arms connected at one end to the extensionsand being arranged concentrically with respect to the body portion, saidspring arms being spaced with respect to the body portion, and beingcurved continuously from one extremity to the other whereby, upon theapplication of pressure to the free ends of the spring arms, theintermediate portions of the spring arms are raised above theextremities of said arms to initially seat against the stop plate andthe portions of the arms lying on the opposite sides of the point ofinitial contact cushion the subsequent movement of the valve rection ofthe stop plate.

6. A plate valve comprising a valve seat having ports therein, a stopplate, a valve plate reciprocable between the stop plate and the valveseat to control the ports, a spring plate between the valve plate andthe stop plate and having lateral extensions thereon, and spring arms onthe lateral extension and being arranged concentrically with respect tothe spring plate, said arms comprising comparatively long continuouslycurved portions extending through the transverse plane of the springplate and short reversely curved portions between the long portions andthe extensions.

WILLIAM E. BEBBINGTON.

plate in the di

